How to go about transfering files from IBM PS/1?

Posted by Pro4791@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 40 comments

I'd like to backup the files off my family's old IBM PS/1 but I'm unsure how to go about doing it. From what I've looked into, I have 3 ways of going about this.

First is to backups the files to floppy, but I'm unsure if the floppy drive is working and I don't have another computer with a 3.5" drive.

Second is to connect another computer to the IBM's parralel port using a serial adapter.

Third is to connect another computer to the IBM using its modem. This PS/1 has a 2400BPS modem installed and I have a ThinkPad X200 running Vista with a 56k modem.

How should I go about this?

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bobboylan@reddit

Does is support https? If so vitving.com might help

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seismicpdx@reddit

Laplink via serial to serial, or parallel to parallel.

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Pro4791@reddit (OP)

IBM DOS version 4.0 and it's a 2011 model

These are to two ports I have to work with.

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seismicpdx@reddit

The other people that suggested a USB to IDE adapter; that concept may not work with the Hard Disk Drive type that ships with Model 2011, at least according to Google Gemini.

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seismicpdx@reddit

http://ftp.oldskool.org/pub/drivers/IBM/PS1/ps1stuff.wordpress.com/download/downloads-for-type-2011/index.html

See Users%20Reference%20for%20PS-1%20Computer%20-%202011%20US.pdf

pages 85 through 90

See Technical%20Reference%20for%20PS1%20Computer%20-%20PN%2057F1970.pdf

pages 8-3 and 8-4

There is a reference for "Hardware Maintenance Service for IBM Personal System/1 Computer"

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MrKrueger666@reddit

Great idea. There's several pieces of software that you can use for that.

I had FXLink back in the day. Came with it's own paralel Laplink cable and a serial Null-modem cable.

Just boot any other PC with a USB stick running some form of DOS. FreeDOS or Caldera DR-DOS should work. Then connect using your laplink software and transfer files.

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You state you are unsure if the floppy drive works in this. Why not buy a USB floppy drive for $20? Any modern computer has some form of USB and can work with a USB floppy drive, you just need a few floppies to copy. At a bare minimum, if you have floppies, it takes a few minutes to find out if it works. If not, a few floppies cost $10 or so.

Also, you say nothing about how large the total size of the files is, that you need to back up. Is it a few megabytes or a few hundred megabytes? That would decide if using a floppy drive is even feasible.

Because, using a parallel port to serial adapter, assuming some kind of USB, is a whole lot of work if the floppy drive works and the file size is relatively small. Like 5 or so floppies small.

The modem idea is even worse and a bigger waste of time. It'll be more difficult to do and so much slower, like 4% of the speed of serial.

The problem with this model 2011 is that it uses a proprietary IDE-XT drive interface. So, you can't just take the drive out to copy the files off of it.

All this being considered, floppy copying the files is most likely to be the easiest. There's a reason the sneakernet existed before networks were common.

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Pro4791@reddit (OP)

I know I have a few 3.5" floppies somewhere I just need to find them. There's only about 7.6MB of files on the 30MB HDD according to the DIR command output.

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hamburgler26@reddit

Oh if the size is that small, and the FDD is working a cheap USB floppy drive will be super simple.

Serial port and a terminal program running on both works well but is slow, but the USB floppy drive may actually be useful down the line, whereas not sure you have any need for a serial cable ever again. I happened to just have one because of my job.

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colin8651@reddit

It’s so simple, the files are “in” the computer

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Pro4791@reddit (OP)

I gotta scoop em out with a laddle.

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kristyn_lynne@reddit

LadleLink

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DamienCIsDead@reddit

Do you have an ISA slot free? I feel like throwing in a cheap ethernet card then running FTPSRV from the MTCP package would be easiest. Then you can connect to it via FTP from a modern computer and copy off anything you want.

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No_Illustrator5035@reddit

I came here to say the same thing. Though if this is a mca bus, that might be more difficult. I have to admit my first thought was "they made ps/1's in 2011?". My IBM ps/1 and ps/2 knowledge isn't the best it seems.

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DamienCIsDead@reddit

Although a MCA bus ethernet card would be a bit more money, they're definitely the easiest MCA cards to find.

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asterisk_14@reddit

I'll join those who say a parallel port ZIP drive is probably the way to go here. Maybe not the fastest, but the most straightforward. Drives aren't too expensive on eBay, and you can always resell it after you're done. I'm guessing a 100MB version would suffice for you (they're a bit cheaper than the 250MB ones).

I strongly recommend using pcZIP, a simple program for mounting and using the parallel drive:

https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/introducing-pczip-a-full-replacement-dos-driver-for-parallel-port-iomega-zip-and-jaz-drives-for-vintage-systems.1251148/

On the other end, you'll need a drive to attach to a more modern computer to offload the files from the ZIP disk. If you have a computer with a parallel port, you could likely use the same drive. Otherwise you'll want to grab a USB ZIP drive as well. Should be plug and play on a modern system.

Good luck!

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mikeputerbaugh@reddit

Iomega ZIP drives were catastrophically unreliable 30 years ago, I would not depend on one for transporting any potentially irreproducible data.

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asterisk_14@reddit

I'll admit that I did not experience the troubles that others did in the past, but I definitely don't discount them. That said, while I wouldn't trust them for storage, I think they are a reasonable option for transfer when one can verify that the files have made it safely to the destination system.

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1337C4k3@reddit

Cheap ch375 usb isa card.

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mcds99@reddit

I sold so many of those back when they first came out, IBM said they are like a MAC all in one but with a bigger screen.

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VandyMarine@reddit

This was my first computer. Got it from my uncle who used it for some marketplace trading thing he was on and it has the image burned into the monitor. Good times. If I recall it was loud as a jet engine.

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gen_angry@reddit

Opening the system would be my last resort due to the age of the machine. Plastics get brittle over time and you risk damaging it.

First, I would first try with external methods. Try the floppy drive first (put a disk in, create a document of some sort. Copy the document to the floppy, then copy back from it, then try to read the copy on the HDD again. If it loads up, it's good). If it works, get yourself a USB floppy drive for your modern machine and copy stuff that way.

If not, look into using something like Laplink via serial or parallel ports. I haven't done it in ages but searching 'laplink dosbox parallel' gives me a few pages of how people have done it.

If those fail, only then I would consider opening the system for the drive.

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EmersonLucero@reddit

The PS/1 does have a plastic bezel on the front but not tricky to release from the case. After that the metal top slides off the metal case. The risk going inside is low.

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CoolPickledDaikons@reddit

Floppy disk!

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ONLYallcaps@reddit

Procomm on both machines, a null modem serial cable and Kermit. And patience.

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Ok-Current-3405@reddit

I use laplink to transfer files between my Amiga500 and a PC. I guess it can also work with a PS1

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Desperate-4-Revenue@reddit

USB to IDE adapter and pull the drive.

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Pro4791@reddit (OP)

The HDD is not standard IDE. It uses a custom edge connector that combines power and data together.

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MrKrueger666@reddit

This, and even if it were standard IDE, modern USB-IDE require LBA and the automatic detection instead of CHS settings.

There's no BIOS to configure CHS on a USB adapter, so those will never work.

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WingedGundark@reddit

Yeah. If there are no plans to use the system in any way, this is by far the simplest way to just backup the data on HDD. And besides the simplicity, those adapters are also cheap.

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Aenoxi@reddit

This is the way.

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grislyfind@reddit

Laplink or similar software and a serial or parallel cable. Microsoft stole the idea and called it Interlink, istr.

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GenkiMan_LX@reddit

I use a pico ide on my 2011. Before that i used a iomega zip drive with parallel connection

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GenkiMan_LX@reddit

For the pico ide i made a riser card. Its easy but you can buy them on ebay as well. No need for modding the ps/1 2011, just install in the upgrade slot. I made a 2.5mb ram module as well.

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Illustrious-Peak3822@reddit

pkzip -add -&

You’ll need a bunch of floppies.

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gnntech@reddit

I use an Iomega Zip 100 parallel drive to transfer files to/from older computers.

I don't know if it would work with the PS/1 though depending on the version of DOS and the available RAM.

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refuge9@reddit

I often use a old parallel port Zip Drive, and then also have a USB Zip Drive I use on the more modern machine, then transfer between them using Zip disks. 100MB each is a lot faster than 1.44MB.

Things like null modem or IDE to SD are faster too, but require opening the case.

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colin8651@reddit

Write a GUI interface using Visual Basic to track the IP address.